Strawn

STARR Strawn Eastern Shelf Initiative

The Pennsylvanian-aged mixed carbonate-clastic Strawn Formation is a highly active play in the Permian Basin region, particularly across the Eastern Shelf where it has been a reservoir target for the better part of a century. It is known for its extreme heterogeneity, a consequence of deposition during a period of high-amplitude sea level swings. The formation produces from a variety of very different reservoirs, including reefs, shoals, and deltaic sands.

STARR researchers and students are working to improve our understanding of the architecture of this very complex system at a regional scale through core-based subsurface studies and work in equivalent outcrop analogs. Understanding how different depositional systems interface with and modify each other, both spatially and through time, is a key objective.

This project is continuously seeking to incorporate new data into the broader picture. Researchers have worked with numerous STARR partners to acquire seismic, cores and core analyses, wireline well-logs, and biostratigraphic data to add to the Bureau’s robust suite of data, further expanding the project and our understanding.

Please contact STARR if you are interested in collaborative work on this enigmatic formation!

Strawn Education

Bureau researchers have led several workshops as part of STARR's technology transfer strategy. These activities help educate STARR partners on the Strawn, both in-house at the BEG and externally for local geological societies and oil libraries around Texas. Workshops typically include a suite of talks from experts on specific aspects of the Strawn, followed by a viewing and walkthrough of several key cores.

Past Events:
STARR 2021 Open House Core Workshop at BEG
2022 Core Workshop at Wichita Falls Oil Information Library